This invention relates to a winch for pulling a flexible line and, more particularly, to a winch drum for use on a sailing vessel.
The typical winch is mounted on a base attached to the deck of a vessel or to the side of a mast, and has a drum around which a rope is wrapped. A shaft and gear assembly inside the drum can be turned by a handle to rotate the drum and wind up the line. By placing several wraps of the line around the drum, additional friction is generated which aids in the pulling of the line. One end of the line, which is typically attached to a sail, is called the "working end" and bears most of the tension in the line. As the line wraps around the winch, the amount of tension on the line is reduced to the point that a person can apply the necessary tension by pulling on the end of the line coming off of the winch, which is referred to as the "tailing end" of the line.